Maha Shivratri

Maha Shivratri falls on the month of February or the beginning of March every year. This religious festival celebrates worship of 'Shiva the Creator,the Preserver and the Destroyer. This night marks the night when He danced the Tandav.

Rituals
Devotees of Shiva observe a fast(vrat) during this day and stay up the whole night at the place of worship. Those observing the Shivratri fast,break their fast only the next morning. They sing holy songs(Bhajans) in praise of the Lord and holy texts are chanted through out the night(Shivratri-literaly means the night of Lord Shiva). In the temples and even the makeshift pandals on that day , shivalingam - the phallic symbol of lord is worshipped.The traditional form of worship starts with the bathing of the lingam with milk. On this day, numerous devotees flock to the temples to perform the auspicious ritual of bathing the Shiva linga.

The pandits in the temples perform the Puja (religious worship) as instructed by the holy scriptures. They use five things traditionally known as the 'panchagavya' to bathe the lingam, these are - 'milk, sour milk, butter, cow's urine and cow dung'. (Now you know why the cow is considered to be the sacred animal of the Hindus). Shivratri is one of the most important religious festivals of the Hindus as Lord Shiva is considered to be the most powerful God of the Trinity - Brahma, Vishnu and Mahesh.

The Lord:
'Lord Shiva' is possibly the coolest God in the Indian Mythology. Cool - not only because his abode is believed to be atop the snow-capped mountain, Mt. Kailash but also because his image stands out in contrast to the conventional idea of the nature of Gods today. He can dance! And dance well. (Surprised? There's more to come) He dances when he is angry; his dance is the dance of destruction. This famous 'dance of rage ' is known as the Tandava (exponents of Indian dance forms invariably pay their respects to him before any program, and often practice their art before the idol of 'Natarajan', as he is also called). He doesn't socialize much with the other Gods of the amply populated celestial realms but often spends his time with the ghosts and the Ghouls instead. Even the flowers that are considered to be sacred to 'Lord Shiva' are Dhatura and jati, plants more appreciated for their intoxicating properties and medicinal value than for their beauty. These slightly shaded areas of his nature add to the mystery that is 'Shiva', lend to his image a charisma that few can resist. His munificence make him a popular God for he is known to be easy to please and generous with his boons. He is very popular with women, they are his most zealous devotees. (Married women observe fast on Mondays for the wellbeing of their husbands, maidens wishing for a good match also observe fast). The third of the Trinity, Lord Shiva is hailed by a number of names in different parts of the country -Mahesh, Neelambuj, Neelkanth, Rudraksh, Kailash Pati, Shanker the list goes on.

Maha Shivratri